Miracles in December (song)
This article is about the song. For the album, see Miracles in December, and for lyrics, see Miracles in December (lyrics). "Miracles in December" (Hangul: 12월의 기적; rom. Sibiweolwi Gijeok; Traditional Chinese: 十二月的奇蹟; Simplified Chinese: 十二月的奇迹; Pinyin: Shíèryuè de Qíjì) is a Christmas-orchestra song performed by the South Korean-Chinese artist idol group EXO. Although pre-released as digital single on December 5, 2013, the song was included in their second EP Miracles in December which was released on December 9, 2013 under the record label of S.M. Entertainment. The song as well as the album are available in both Korean and Mandarin Chinese languages. "Miracles in December" garnered both positive critical reception and commercial success. It debuted at number one on nine South Korean real time music charts upon release. The Korean version peaked at spot number two of Gaon Singles Chart and landed in top three of Korea K-Pop Hot 100, while the Chinese version climbed to the spot 9 of Baidu Weekly Music Chart and topped the International Singles chart. "Miracles in December" was chosen as the title song and lead single from the mini-album, and along with "Christmas Day", was showcased live on various local music shows and concerts during the promotional cycle. Composition and background "Miracles in December", according to the album description on Korean music site Naver Music, is a pop-ballad track that makes use of piano and strings in its arrangement. The piece was composed and arranged by foreign veteran songwriters Andreas Stone Johansson and Rick Hanley in their debut collaboration with S.M. Entertainment production staff. The vocals in the Korean version are provided by Chen, Baekhyun and D.O, while those of the Chinese version belong to the former two in addition to Luhan. The song talks about a man having nostalgia of relationship with his former lover and his desire to come back to her but can't do so because of shame and guilt. Yoon So-ra and Liu Yuan penned the lyrics of the Korean and Chinese versions respectively. Release All songs in the group's second EP Miracles in December were previewed in a short medley audio clip that was uploaded onto their websites. On December 1, 2013, "Miracles in December" was revealed to be the title of the lead promotional single form the album along with other information regarding Exo's comeback to music scene. The song was made available for download as a digital single on December 5, 2013, ahead of the full album release on December 9, 2013 under the record and production label of S.M. Entertainment. Promotion Music video The teasers for the Korean and Chinese versions of the music video were uploaded on SM Town's official YouTube channel on December 2, 2013, sparking strong interest from fans. This however concerned many that the group might promote as a sub-unit, prompting Exo's management agency S.M. Entertainment to come out and clear up the supposed rumors. A rep from the agency commented that "it is true that Baekhyun, D.O, and Chen sang the title song... This does not mean they are officially promoting as a sub-unit... We are planning to henceforth have other members also go up on stage for varied performances". He continued "We are preparing diverse performances because this album is a special album that captures the essence of winter and is filled with thanks for the fans. It is not correct to call this a sub-unit activity". Both versions of the music videos were unveiled two days later on December 4, 2013 at 8:00 PM KST. The music video was directed by Jo Soo Hyun, and was filmed in November at the Paju area in Gyeonggi-do and a studio in Ilsan. Live performances In December, Exo began its broadcast promotions by performing the Korean version live on various local music shows including M! Countdown on 5, Music Bank on 6, Show! Music Core on 7, and Inkigayo on 8. Baekhyun, Chen and D.O. also staged performances on MTV The Show was on 17 and Show! Champion on 18 of December. The song was also included in the set-list of their special winter festival joint concert with label mates f(x), SM Town Week: "Christmas Wonderland', on December 23 and 24. The Chinese version of "Miracles in December" was staged on SBS MTV The Show on December 24 by the members Luhan, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen and D.O. Critical reception K-Pop critic site Seoulbeats gave a positive review of the song saying that "it really does deserve all of the hype it's getting". The review pointed out that "Miracle in December" just builds and builds throughout its duration and praised the harmonization as 'a thing of beauty'. Kpopstarz also gave a positive review of the song. Allkpop listed "Miracles in December" as number eight on best K-Pop Christmas songs of all time in addition to complimenting Exo for exploring different genres. The critics of Eatyourkimchi also remarked the song positively and noticed the growing vocal prowess of the group. Commercial reception According to K-Pop news site Naver, and community sites Allkpop and Soompi, "Miracles in December" debuted at spot number one on real-time charts of nine different music portal sites within 4 hours of its release, including Melon, Mnet, Bugs, Olleh, Soribada, Naver, Daum, Monkey3 and Genie. The song also charted into overseas music markets as well as it ranked 5 on iTunes singles chart in Vietnam, 39 in Singapore, 137 in Thailand and 177 in Malaysia. As for domestic commercial performance, the Korean version peaked at spot number two of Gaon Singles Chart and landed in top three of Korea K-Pop Hot 100, while the Chinese version climbed to the spot 7 of Baidu Weekly Music Chart and topped the International Singles chart. Lyrics (color-coded) Baekhyun Chen D.O. Luhan Korean Chinese Category:Songs Category:Miracles in December